


Warmth

by AnUniverseAway



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: One Shot, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:48:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22435171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnUniverseAway/pseuds/AnUniverseAway
Summary: “You’ve been in that armour for years and suddenly you have three more senses and, just, aren’t you freaking out?”
Comments: 8
Kudos: 53





	Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> Al gets his body back. That's it. That's the fic. 
> 
> Also, you probably shouldn't read this if you haven't seen/read all of FMA:B. So, if you haven't, let me ask you a question.  
> Why the hell are you reading fics when you should be finishing one of the most beautiful anime of our generation?

The first thing Alphonse feels is the warmth. The hand supporting his back, the one in his own hand, steadying him and he feels the gentle touch of the sun´s rays. _Warm_.

He says so, aloud. Ed´s smiling at him, excitement and anticipation in his eyes, ready for Al to freak out because, he’s here, he has his body, he’s _alive_. But Al doesn´t feel overwhelmed. He feels calm and actually just very, _very_ tired in this new (old) body of his.

He’s brought to the hospital, of course. In the weeks that follow, he’s building up his body to get it healthy, eating only what’s being prescribed to him by the doctors. That disappoints him, because he has a whole list of things he wants to eat, and hospital food is definitely not on it. Ed seems to be more upset by this when he offers Al to sneak food into the hospital that doesn’t taste like it’s been canned for thirty years, which it probably is. Al laughs, assuming he’s joking, but the dead-serious look on Ed’s face reminds him that Edward _never_ jokes when it comes to food.

When Al’s discharged from the hospital they immediately head to the station, making way for home. Al insists on buying tickets, like the civilized citizens they are, but Ed´s complaining. He keeps doing so, even as Al is in the middle of paying.

“We don’t have to pay for anything, Al!” he says, glaring angrily at the money Al is handing over, as if wishing it away. Or better yet, wishing it back into their wallet _where it belongs_. “We’re heroes now. We saved the whole world’s population,” he says this last bit pointedly to the cashier, who looks thoroughly unimpressed. She puts the money away while muttering a not that soft “brat”.

“Listen, lady,” Ed says, pressing his white-gloved finger to the window separating them and now he really does look like a twelve-year-old-brat, “If it wasn’t for us, you’d be living a tormented existence inside a power-thirsty dwarf with a god-complex.”

“Brother, stop it,” Al sighs. He just wants to go to the train and sit down.

“Are you referring to yourself?” the woman asks.

“ _Who are you calling a dwarf so small you wouldn’t even be able to see with a microscope_ -“

“Brother, let’s go!”

They make it onto the train only just in time, thanks to Edward.

The whole journey home, Ed’s demeanour changes multiple times. Going from keeping a distance to not being able stop helping Al walk and then it's back to not doing anything at all and avoiding touch altogether. Al gives him a look but doesn’t say anything about it.

They come home, finally, standing in front of the Rockbell’s residence. Den lies on the porch and Al calls him over. Al laughs and laughs, because Den’s happiness is contagious. He barks and jumps and then, when Al crouches down, he licks his face and it tickles, it _tickles_.

When he says this, the smile on Ed’s face is fond but quickly changes into being on edge again.

That evening Pinako makes them a meal so heavenly delicious even Ed sheds a tear. Al enjoys it a lot, making noises that are highly inappropriate when having dinner, but he couldn’t care less, and the others can’t blame him. He smiles all through dinner and feels content.

After, he offers to do the dishes, of course he does, but Ed pushes him back onto his chair, saying “you need to rest, you idiot, I’ll do it.” Looks are exchanged by the others, but nobody complains. While Ed’s busying himself, he’s suspiciously quiet. Every so often he shoots a wary look at Al, completely unsubtle. Al’s at the kitchen table petting the dog, trying to ignore his brother’s strange behaviour.

After the eighth glance Al is fed up.

“ _What_?”

Ed actually looks surprised at the edge in Alphonse voice. He shifts a little, nervous but feigning indifference and says, “What, what?

“Why do you keep doing that?”

“Doing what!”

“Acting like I’m going to break or something!”

“I’m not-“ but he cuts himself off, because he knows he is. He considers his words for once, “Just… Are you not… overwhelmed?”

Al cocks his head, also considering. Ed continues.

“You’ve been in that armour for years and suddenly you have three more senses and, just, aren’t you freaking out?”

“Not, really,” Al says, honestly. “It’s a lot, but I’m feeling calm. I think.”

Ed nods and returns to the task at hand. It’s quiet for a while, save for the sound of silverware being tussled with and Den’s tail sweeping from left to right on the wooden kitchen floor, as Al scratches his ears. Al can hear Ed's thinking, though. 

“Stop worrying, brother. I’m not going to have a melt down or something.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ed replies, not convincing and finishes up.

“Instead,” Al says, shifting in his seat to tease Ed while looking at him, “Worry about how you’re going to confess you’re undying love to Win-“

“Alright,” Ed cuts him off, “That’s enough.”

Ed walks towards the hall, muttering, “People are always fooled into thinking you’re an angel, while you’re actually an annoying little shit.” As he walks past Al, he ruffles his hair and _that’s_ when it hits Al. The same fond gestures their mom used to do when they were both being silly and Alphonse feels his senses finally overloading. His scalp is tingling where Ed’s hand was a moment ago. The familiar/unfamiliar feeling of his warm, sated stomach after a good meal. The fur of Den under his fingertips. The smell of this house, of his childhood, fills him. It catches him completely off guard.

It starts with a sniffle and Ed stops dead in his tracks. Slowly turning around.

A single tear escapes the corner of Al’s eyes and tickles its way down his nose and in his lap. Al’s body hiccups, a sensation he hasn’t felt in years. He’s crying. He can cry.

And that’s when he cracks.

Al truly, unrestrainable and very, _very_ loudly bawls his eyes out. For years, when he was feeling sad the only thing he could feel was an aching at the place where his heart should be. And now he can finally translate the ache into tears and release it.

He pulls his hands away from his face and they are covered in tears. He looks up at Ed, who’s staring at him wide-eyed and altogether way too uncomfortable.

He holds his hands up, showing. “I can cry!” he says in-between sobs.

“Yeah, I can see,” Ed says back, horrified. Then in a panic he yells, “WINRY!”

She comes down running from the stairs, wrench still in hand. She sees Al crying and turns to Ed saying, “ _What did you do_?”

“I didn’t do anything! He just started crying out of nowhere!”

“So, why did you call for me? Why aren't you comforting him?”

“I don’t know how to do that! And you cry, like, all the time, so I figured you’d know what to- OW,” he stops short rubbing at the promised bump on his head where Winry has hit him with the wrench. She walks over to Al and pulls him into a hug.

“What happened?” she asks, softly, going in mothering mode.

“I mean, I did call him an annoying little shit,” Ed says muttering, fidgeting with his shirt, “But that’s nothing new right?”

“Edward, shut up,” Winry says and turns her attention back to Alphonse who’s still sniffling. Ed keeps on muttering, saying this was exactly what he was talking about.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Al says, rubbing his palms in his eye sockets, “I swear, I am. It’s just… overloading.”

Somehow, Winry immediately understands what he means and takes him in his arms a little tighter, saying, “I’m so happy you're here, Al.”

After a few seconds there’s an awkward cough from the other side of the room.

They look over at Ed, both of their looks inviting.

“Oh no,” he says, “That was definitely not an invite-me-to-the-hug-cough, it was a please-stop-being-cringy-cough.”

They get twin innocent smiles on their faces.

“I am _not_ group-hugging,” Ed says, folding his arms over each other.

“Come on, Ed!”

“M-m, not happing.”

“Brother, please?” And when has Ed ever been able to deny Al anything?

Ed sighs, walks over defeatedly and lets himself be pulled in.

“For the record,” he says, “This never happened, understood?”

Al just pulls them tighter in, uttering a squeak and a weary, displeased groan and enjoys the closeness, the warmth.

“Oh, this totally happened,” Al sighs, “I’ll tell everyone about it. _Especially_ , the Colonel.”

Ed wriggles himself out of the embrace, “See! Angel my ass, you’re _evil_ , Alphonse.”

They let go, losing the warmth. Instead, it settles into Al’s chest and it makes his heart feel too big to be contained inside his body. He decides that he likes that kind of warmth even more.

\------------------

*THE BONUS NO ONE ASKED FOR*

Ten minutes later, when Alphonse is wiping the remains of his tears off his cheeks, Edward walks up to him.

"Hey, Al," he says, serious. Something in his voice elicits suspicion, though. Al squares his shoulders a little as Ed stands in front of him.

"Yes?"

"Can I just say," he begins and he places both hands on Al's shoulders, "from the bottom of my heart:"

Al's eyes widen.

"Called it."

"You-"

He releases himself from Ed's grip and looks around for anything that he'll be able to throw at Ed's face. Though by the time he has an apple (the fruit bowl was closest to him) in his hand, arm lunged back, ready to throw, Ed has already sprinted out of the room.

He sighs and mutters, "this is why Windy keeps wrenches at hand."

**Author's Note:**

> So, two things inspired me to write this.
> 
> Firstly, is the memory of me breaking out in tears when watching the finale when Al woke up in his body and said "it's so warm." Because boy, did that hit me.
> 
> Secondly, and more importantly was my beautiful best friend at one point in the series saying, "Al can't cry, that must be so horrible and frustrating" and yeah that fucked me up. So thank you darling for inspiring me❤
> 
> Finally, there's one more thing I'd like to mention.
> 
> Al is best boi. fight me


End file.
